White Knight Begins
by Deacon Krow
Summary: Xander's stop in Oxnard didn't last the whole summer and his travels took him to Gotham. BtVSBatman Begins...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story and I am not receiving any money for it. Buffy characters are the property of Joss and Mutant Enemy, and batman is the property of DC comics. Any other characters that may appear from other sources are the property of their respective creators. All I own is the story it's self.

Spoilers: Through season 3 of BtVS, will possible bits from seasons 4 and 5. and for

Batman Begins.

A/N: This is my first fanfic so I would really appreciate feedback, I will probably respond to most feedback via e-mail rather than in authors notes of new chapters. I hope to update this about once a week, possibly more.

**Prologue**

The young man stared down into his steaming cup of coffee. It had been a long trip leading up to this point. He had some car trouble in Oxnard, CA and had to do some things that if his life depended on it would never be repeated to another living soul, may the 'Fabulous Ladies Club' never be remembered again. But he had finally made it… well as close enough he decided. One of the largest cities on the east coast was calling him and he intended to end his trip there.

As he stood up to leave the dingy roadside diner we appeared to be a tall but battered individual. He had brown hair and was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans that were covered in dirt, and what may have been blood in spots. It looked as though he had just been in a bar brawl and lost. Of course the truth was a bit more complicated than that. He was just in a brawl out behind the diner, but he didn't lose. The waitress came over and gave him his check after asking if he needed anything else to which he just shook his head and dropped a few dollars on the counter.

He turned and began walking out of the diner with a slight limp as the other patrons cautiously eyed the young man, some just curious and others thinking he was probably some thug and didn't want to accidentally start some trouble. In a way it may have been true but it was more fate decided that trouble would just follow him around. Truth be told maybe he was dangerous, he was a warrior of sorts. He fought the darkness and was still alive to talk about it. Tonight he had just staked his 10th vampire of the trip and that was no small feat for a normal guy. However, at the moment the thing he looked like most was tired. Tired but happy it seemed, as he stepped out the door and looked to the sprawling metropolis on the horizon with a charming lopsided smile.

"Coast to Coast in just under 2 Months. Well, at least I accomplished one goal in life."

The young man known as Xander Harris quickly walked to his car and started down the quiet road toward the big city and the end of his journey. As he pulled onto the road he passed a large sign saying GOTHAM CITY 5 MILES.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Xander was walking along the streets of Gotham City in the area known as 'The Narrows' which most would consider a fairly crazy thing for anyone to do alone at night. Xander wasn't to worried though, he had spent the better part of the past three years facing off against Vampires, Demons, and other assorted creatures of the night. Things that were usually 3 to 4 times stronger and faster than any human could hope to be.

He hadn't done a lot of patrolling since he started this trip since he was alone and as his friends liked to remind him, the "_normal one_". He knew that at best he could only ever take 1 vampire at a time, 2 if he really had to, but that was really only that one time and he didn't want to relive the pain of that anytime soon. Even so he couldn't not patrol at least once every couple of days. He knew too much of what was out there and had to do what he could to try and make things safer for the masses that didn't know what was out there.

He had been in town for about a week and sold his car as soon as he got here. Gotham had surprisingly good public transportation and he needed the money to buy a plane ticket home to Sunnydale. He was surprised the car made it cross country in the first place and knew it wouldn't make the trip back. He was just as surprised that he got a thousand dollars for the car from some gear-head that loved it and wanted to rebuild it for his kid.

It seemed as though Gotham decided to be really good to him. Since he had gotten into town he had made a great deal selling his car, bought his plane ticket home that he could use anytime in the next month, and had found part-time work loading and unloading materials for a construction company. He had even dusted 2 vamps all by him self. The only reason he was patrolling again tonight is because he had heard of a weird guy running around in a bat-suit catching criminals, and he was really curious. _Besides_ he mused to himself, _it may be a demon._

As he came out from under a bridge he heard a girl yelling and what sounded like a fight. He rushed around the corner and saw 3 guys attacking and toying with a really attractive woman in her late 20's.

"Well damn"… His quiet outburst was enough to catch the attention of the nearest guy and also tiped him off that they were vampires, not people.

"Hey boys, Looks we got even more fun tonight. Good thing too, I was getting really hungry." The other two laughed and as one of them held on to the girl, the other two came for Xander.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to play with your food?" Xander gave a little smirk looking a lot more brave than he actually felt.

The three vampires stopped a looked at each other mildly confused that the little man wasn't worried and seemed to know what they were. They vamped out and started towards Xander again which made the woman freeze up in shock and fear.

One of the vamps decides to charge at Xander and he waits till the last moment pushing his hand out towards the vampires chest. A stake pops out from under his sleeve and dusts the first vamp as Xander ducks under a punch from the second, already running through the still settling ashes toward the third vamp and the girl. Both of the vampires are shocked into stillness trying to process how one of their own just got dusted by a guy just barely more than a kid. While they are standing there Xander pulls a water gun and starts dousing the vampire holding the girl with holy water.

The vamp drops the girl and as it continues to scream he yells "RUN!"

The girl gets about 10 yards before she comes to her senses and stops and spins around. Xander is trying to dust the injured vamp while the other is fast approaching. So far he hit it with the stake once but missed the heart and got several gashes across his chest for his trouble. But this time the other vamp in a blindingly quick move grabs him by the neck and slams him into the nearest wall.

"You just killed my sire you little BITCH! For that you get to scream for days." The vamp was nose to nose and Xander was fairly certain he was going to need an ambulance if he made it out at all, as it was he could just barely get out a horse "run" to the girl who was still standing there facing down what looked like an acid scarred vamp.

No one expected what happened next as the girl brings up her hand with a oddly shaped black box and hits the vamp in the head with a tazer gun. Once again the vamp is screaming and twitching on the ground while the woman is still standing there looking terrified, when Xander takes all the strength he has left and drives his knee into the vamps crotch. He would have had at least a twinge of sympathy if not for the whole almost being killed thing, so he just pulled his spare stake and caught his breath. The vamp he had just kicked recovered just as quickly and Xander was hard pressed to stay out of range of his wild punches and kicks. Luckily the vamp wasn't a great fighter but he was still to fast to leave an opening that Xander could use. Xander's salvation came from the least likely of places. The third vamp finally managed to yank the electrified probes from his face and started swinging wildly as it got up accidentally knocking the other vamp on its back. Xander, not known for looking a gift horse in the mouth jumped on the vamp staking it with all his weight behind him. The only problem with this was that his stake dusted with the vamp and he was left with a little holy water in his water gun as his only weapon. Sensing this the enraged and wounded vamp started beating him mercilessly not even giving him a chance to get up.

Xander knew he was done at this point, he did his best to roll with the punches and soften the blows as best he could but on the ground it didn't mean much. His only hope now was that the woman was smart enough to get out before it remembered she was there.

The vamp got a really good kick in and Xander felt a several ribs breaking under the force. Then a punch to the head almost knocked him out and he dazedly saw the follow up about to put his lights out when suddenly with a slight scream, the vamp was gone. Shaking his head and trying to get to his feet as fast as he could, also looking for a piece of wood, his jaw drops as he sees his rescuer.

Rachel falls to her knees with relief as she sees batman fly into the 'thing' that attacked her and hopefully saved the kid that came to her rescue. She watches the fight intently as she starts to realize that things are off about the fight.

Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, was doing his last sweep of 'The Narrows' for the night when he heard the sounds of a fight. As he got to a neighboring rooftop he looked down and saw Rachel looking like she was attacked, and two guys fighting nearby while she just looked on in horror. Quickly jumping off the building eager to help his friend he grabs his cape to slow his fall and hits the guy who is beating the person on the ground. When he gets a good look at the guys face inwardly he is shocked. Outwardly no one noticed since he continued beating the crap out of the guy. _'Gordon wasn't kidding, this mask thing took off really quick. Plus this guy must be on drugs he's insanely quick and strong for just a street thug, and he should have gone down a while ago.'_

As fast as the vamp was, Batman was able to dodge every attack with just the slightest bit of movement. Efficiency of motion and brutal would be a good way to describe the way Batman was moving, but Xander noticed that nothing was doing much damage until it seemed batman came to the same conclusion and started breaking bones. The vamp threw a right hook at batman's head and almost at the same time batman grabbed the wrist of the arm and spun dropping the elbow over his shoulder breaking the joint and kicking back and low knocking the vampire to his back.

Xander seeing his chance grabbed a piece of broken 2x4 he saw and plunged it into the vamps heart dusting him. He was feeling fairly proud of himself and was about to say something when the batman grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. The pain of his broken ribs knocking the air from his lungs and causing him to cough up a little blood and fighting to catch his breath.

"What are you, and what did you do to him!" Batman yelled into Xander's face. To say that he was intimidated was a bit of an understatement, but at the same time he was also in a lot of pain at the moment and not very happy about it.

"Get off me you wonder prick…cough if you haven't noticed I just saved her over there, gasp and made your life a lot easier." He stoped to take a couple shallow breaths and spit out what he hoped was the last bit of blood in his mouth and lungs. "I may have gotten beat down and got a few broken ribs for my trouble, but at least I did it without tights." He figured it was probably a bad idea to insult the guy that just saved his life, especially since it may be a psycho in a bat costume, but he was never accused of being too smart.

Stunned that anyone would talk to batman like that, batman stood back and let him go saying the first thing that came to mind. "It's body armor, not tights."

Xander chuckled a bit as he slid down the wall, he didn't really have the strength to stand now that the adrenalin started to leave his system. "Well well… defensive are we?" Xander just shrugged and tipped his head towards the ashes, "By the way, you've just had your first encounter with vampires. So now that everyone's caught up, could someone call me an ambulance?"

At this Rachel just rushed over to Xander and started to check him over while pulling out a cell phone. Batman just took another step back and thought things over quietly for a moment while Rachel call 911.

"What's your name?"

Xander just looked at him for a second then replied, "Xander Harris."

Batman just nodded and said, "I think I believe you but we'll talk later I need to know more." As batman turned to disappear Rachel quickly snapped her phone shut and spun, "Batman!..." batman paused halfway into the shadows of the alley they were next to. "Thank you." Rachel said quietly. Then he just disappeared into the shadows.

Xander started mumbling to himself before Rachel turned back to him, "Yea I save the girl and the cryptic gothic guy gets the thanks, I hope this doesn't become the running theme of my life."

Rachel turns back with a small smirk on her face having caught most of his comment, "Thank you" she said as she knelt next to him again. "So, do you make it a habit of saving the girl?"

Xander blushed a bit and looked down at that, "Sorry, I really don't do this for the thanks, but I have a small issue with cryptic guys that disappear into the shadows. But, I think I can make an exception since the guy did save my life." With his standard lopsided smile, though it was a little weak considering the state he was in, he added, "And yes I try to save the girl at least once a week, in fact I'm lucky you happened to be here, it's Friday and I've had a slow week." He chuckled a bit then winced and grabbed his chest, which made him wince again since he forgot about the large gashes there.

Rachel paled a little bit as she noticed his pain again and started checking him over again, "By the way, I'm Rachel Dawes, assistant DA here in Gotham."

"Xander Harris, Ending a cross country road trip here." He noticed she was shaking and pale as she checked him over. "are you ok?" he asked.

Rachel looked him in the face and gave a small, hopefully reassuring, smile. "I think I should be asking you that question…" she paused to take a deep breath, "but I guess I'm ok, just… Were those really vampires?"

She saw a great deal of caring and sympathy when she looked into his eyes as she asked.

"Sorry, but yea they really were. I know it will take a lot of getting used to, but you should try not to think about it, there isn't really anything that the law can do, and there is a system to take care of things that go bump in the night. Just be really careful at night, carry a cross or holy water, they'll help you get away, and don't invite people into your house after dark, just hold the door open and gesture. They can't come in without a verbal invitation."

She didn't seem to reassured, but there wasn't anything more he could say. They waited in silence until the ambulance arrived and he explained that she was attacked by a couple of thugs and he jumped them and scared them off. She seemed to accept that, or at least didn't argue the point and he told her to get home as they loaded him into the ambulance, reassuring her that he would be fine. She quickly went back to her car a couple blocks away after getting the name of the hospital he was being taken to, and quickly went home though she was sure that she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

Batman watched all this silently from the rooftops before following the ambulance to the hospital and finding out his room number. He was going to have to stop by and talk to this Xander Harris, but not tonight. Regardless of his misgivings that the man was on the level, he couldn't come up with any other plausible explanations for what happened tonight, and he had saved Rachel nearly sacrificing himself to do it. He would give him a chance to recover a bit before he confronted him. With one last thought he swung off into the night.

"I'll definitely be seeing you soon."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Xander was having a bad morning. When he had gotten into the hospital last night he was able to enjoy the fun of having his ribs taped up followed by the joy of pain meds. That wasn't so bad until he realized that that just made him more tired than he already was and the nurses wouldn't let him sleep for more than an hour at a time. '_stupid mild concussion'_ He had had worse and was trying to convince the nurses that he was fine and would be even better if he could get some actual sleep. But would anyone listen to him? Noooo, can't have that. "Whatever happened to the idea that the customer is always right?" he thought to himself. He still didn't understand why they would tell him he needed rest and then not let him sleep.

If that wasn't bad enough, he had called Giles to check up and let him know he was alright. The hospital had called him in the middle of the night because Giles name was still listed as his guardian on his medical records thanks to Willow and the frequent trips to Sunnydale Memorial. He had since gotten multiple phone calls from Willow and Buffy checking up on him and berating him for fighting vampires, when it wasn't his job. '_Really, if one more friend calls me stupid I am going to scream'_

Just when he was about to write off the day as a loss, The beautiful brunet woman from last night walked in.

"Hey hero."

Xander smiled his first real smile of the day. "Hey, Rachel right? You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

She smirked at that, "What your not enjoying yourself being taken care of by beautiful nurses?" she asked with a small laugh in her voice.

"Well I have seen them walk by, but I think my nurse used to be a Hun, and is possibly an escaped war criminal." He takes a good look at her and she seems much better than she did last night. She's dressed in slacks and a nice blouse, where as last night she was in a skirt suit and looked like she just came out of a board meeting. Overall she looked really good. "Your looking a lot better today though."

She chucked at his comment, "Thanks, you look pretty good today too, well for someone that was hit by a bus at least." That was true enough, his face was almost one big bruse and his mouth was still swollen. Add to that the bruses on his arms and showing around his neck and he was looking pretty beat up.

She sat at the small but comfortable chair that seems is in every hospital room next to the bed and gets a mildly serious look on her face, "I think I've somewhat come to terms with what happened last night, but I would like to talk to you about it some more if your up to it later."

Xander gives her a comforting smile, "Sure I think I can make time, but lets wait till I'm out of this torture chamber cleverly disguised as a hospital." He replied with a laugh. "They said I can leave tomorrow, believe it or not this is all mostly superficial. The only real damage beyond bad brusing and small cuts are the broken ribs, and well there isn't a lot to be done about that. I should be at 100 in a couple of weeks, or close enough that it doesn't matter."

"Really, that's fairly amazing. I thought you would be in here for a week at least." She replied genuinely happy for him, and glad he hadn't suffered more serious damage saving her. "Do you have anywhere to stay when you get out? "

"Oh yea, I have a hotel room on the waterfront just outside 'The Narrows', I should be fine there till I get back on my feet." Outwardly he was smiling but he was cringing on the inside. Medical bill were expensive and he didn't have a lot of money left. He really didn't like the idea but he would probably have to hand over all his money then grab his stuff and leave for sunnyhell as soon as he got out.

Rachel didn't seem fooled, "No you don't, after you get checked out I am taking you back to my place. It's the least I can do for you saving my life. Besides I already grabbed your stuff from your hotel and the city is footing the bill for your hospital stay." She stated with a brilliant smile on her face. "You can stay in my spare room until your feeling better."

"You really don't have…. Wait, how did you know where I was staying?" Xander sputtered out growing instantly suspicious.

Rachel just gave him a little smile, "Hey I may not be working for some huge powerful law firm, but there are definite perks to being the assistant DA. I got your info from the hospital last night and checked up on you. It looked like you had been doing this kind of stuff for a while now, but no real criminal charges, so I figured I could trust you."

Xander thought about it for a second or two, then let out his own big smile. "I'm glad that after saving your life, and an extensive background check you feel you can trust me." He laughed a little at that, "But really, thanks for the medical bills, they would have been rough, but I really don't want to impose."

"No really, I insist." She was glad, and mildly surprised that he wasn't upset over the background check. She was expecting some anger at the invasion of privacy, but apparently he understood the value of checking up on people.

Xander weighed the options in his head for a moment. She really seemed to genuinely want to help, and really the alternatives were a crappy hotel room near the bad part of town, or a hot brunet ADA that he really wouldn't mind getting to know better.

"Ok, I'll do it."

There was that brilliant smile again, _'Oh no, bad Xander, your probably too young for her anyways, she's probably in her 30's and thinks of you as just a kid.'_ As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew he would be making a fool of himself soon.

"Good, I'll be by with a friend tomorrow to get you out of here and get you settled in at my place." She reached out and squeezed his hand, then got up to leave.

"I'm sorry I have to get out of here so soon but I have to pick up some paperwork from my office. So I will see you in the morning then?"

Xander gave her another small smile of gratitude, "Don't worry about it, I'm glad you stopped by. And thank you for everything."

"It's not a problem, really. It's the least I could do." She went to the door, "Get some rest I'll see if I can get the nurses to lighten up a little."

"Thank you so much." Xander said with a smile. She just smiled back and left.

'_Huh, today is really looking up, and tomorrow I get to stay with a beautiful woman whose life I saved. Not only that, but I tackled 3 vamps last night, staked two, all by my lonesome, and lived to tell about it. I could get to liking this town.'_

The rest of his day was spent sleeping. It seemed as though Rachel was able to get the nurses to back off, and Xander spent the day enjoying some much needed sleep. The entire day he was only woken up twice to take his medications.

Xander woke up late at night feeling that there was something was wrong. He became really worried immediately after when he saw the window was open. He was fairly sure that no one would have opened it since it was late summer and the AC was on. Looking deep into the shadows, he noticed there was a darker spot in the corner that was vaguely man sized. He reached for the call button on next to the bed as casually as he could when he spoke.

"I know your there so you might as well come out."

To say that batman was both surprised and impressed when as soon as he set foot into the room Xander started to stir. He then immediately stepped back into the shadows knowing he would be just about invisible. As much as he hated Ra's, he was damn good at what he learned, possibly the best. He sat back and decided to watch to see how Xander reacted, and he was surprised again when Xander briefly glanced around the room at the shadowed corners and then focused on him while trying to sneak his hand to the call button. He decided to let the man at ease and stepped out into the dim light, glad that the door was closed and the nurses had just left an hour ago. It would be a few hours till they checked on him again.

"You won't be needing that." He said as he stepped forward.

Xander visibly relaxed but not completely when he saw who was there. "I didn't think you would come here to see me. I figured I would be pulled into a dark alley somewhere after I got out."

Batman gave a small smirk. "I usually reserve that kind of treatment for criminals, not good Samaritans. Unless there is something about you that you think you should tell me."

Xander blanched for a moment, "NO!.. I mean no, nope nobody but us good Samaritans and caped crusaders here." He stuttered out with a smile.

Batman cocked up an eyebrow in question at the 'caped crusader' comment, not that Xander could see it but he got the idea, though otherwise remained silent.

"Not that there's anything wrong with capes, my friend Willow wore one for a while in 7th grade, course that was more of a cloak… Not saying your cape is cloak like or girly or anything… Cause it's not… I'm just going to shut up now." Xander just started to nervously pick at the sheet and his hospital gown while squirming uncomfortably under batmans gaze.

For his part batman never before remembered having to fight this hard to keep the smile off his face. '_And this kid fights vampires and demons, how do you do that for years and still be this awkward. Plus he's not scared of me, definitely need to keep an eye on this one._'

"I came here to find out what you know about vampires, not fashion. Plus I'd like to know how a guy like you got in this field."

Xander seemed relieved that he didn't take offense. He was fairly certain that this guy was all human, but he was also laid up in a hospital bed feeling mostly broken.

"Well, that's kinda a long story. Lets start with this, what's your take on creation theory?"

"Whatever I say I doubt you'll tell me I'm right so why don't you just keep explaining."

'_Geez, I wonder if he ever relaxes, this guy definitely needs a vacation and a prozac_'. Well, this is really more G-mans thing but I will try to enlighten you. Lets start with, the world is much older than you know…." He tells the whole spiel and by the end batman sits quietly.

"And what about your story?"

"Wait, after all that the only question you have for me is, 'what's my story?'." Xander looks at him incredulously. "I was expecting at least a little stunned amazement, or maybe even a quiet, 'I don't believe you." The last part was said in a deep voice, like a bad batman impersonation.

"Lets just say I reserve judgment for more evidence. Now I am still waiting for your story."

"Fine, here you go." Xander took a moment to try and figure out how to not mention anyone who was too important. "Well, in my sophomore year in high school one of my friends got turned into a vampire. I ended up having to stake him when he and a whole bunch of vampires were trying to do this ritual and bring about the end of the world. Then I find out that my home town in situated on top of the mouth of hell. Literally a point where all this bad mojo is centered and is a gateway to hell. Well this whole demons thing has a kind of check and balance system, and there are mystically empowered people out there literally made to fight this sort of thing. Thing is, after what happened to my friend, I couldn't stay out of the fight. Powers or no powers, I am in this fight till I die. Lucky for me, the vamp population is a lot less the farther out from the hellmouth you go so it's only in the big cities that I find any since I hit Colorado."

Batman, was fairly intrigued, despite his better judgment… or possibly because if it, this kid was a trouble magnet. He was really going to have to think about this later. He could tell that Xander wasn't telling him everything, but then again he could understand the need to keep some secrets.

"So, what are their strengths and weakness, and how do you go about spotting and stopping these.. things?"

Xander got a slightly worried expression on his face, "Well spotting them is kinda easy, most demons are easy, they don't look human. Some demons are fairly harmless but most are pretty much evil incarnate. Vampires are kinda tricky though. Anything that's less than 100 years old or so is usually stuck in their old fashions and such, so their easier, but the smart or older ones tend to understand the need to blend in. I think I have built up a little experience so I recognize them more often than not but it takes practice." He wasn't about to mention his possession. He didn't want to make himself seem dangerous.

What most people didn't know was he got a few boosts from the hyena that lingered after he was exorcised. It wasn't much, but he had a good instinct on whether or not someone or something was dangerous, on top of that he was still a little faster, stronger, had some enhance senses, and healed faster than your average human. Nothing that could be considered supernatural, but more than he was before.

"Their strengths and weaknesses depend on the demon. Vampires are on average 4 or 5 times faster and stronger than your average human, and they can be killed by fire, sunlight, decapitation, or a wooden stake through the heart. Crosses repel them and burn on contact as does holy water, but the only way to kill them with holy water is make them drink it, or maybe hit them with a fire hose shooting it… Actually that's not a bad idea, I wonder if you can have water in pipes turned into holy water?... Whatever, most demons are stronger that people, not always faster, but almost always stronger. The hard part is figuring out how to kill them, but generally things die if you cut off it's head…" The more Xander talked the more he seemed to relax, but now that worried expression came back full force.

"Now the most important thing to keep in mind is that you can't just stop them. If you find yourself having to fight a demon, you have to kill because it won't stop killing people if you don't. Demons don't have souls and so most are just intelligent killing machines. Even if you can stop one, it probably can't survive without killing and or eating people. Most have no conscience or remorse, they look at people as food. Besides, even if you could put one in jail and it could live, a lot of them are either immortal or live a really long time. There is no safe way to contain them. They have to be destroyed."

The serious look in his eyes never wavered during his speech and batman could tell that he wasn't kidding.

"So then how do you tell the bad ones from the peaceful ones?"

"Easy, if they try to kill you on sight, they are evil." Xander said with a smirk. "I'm fairly certain that you'll want some more proof, so after I get out of here and feel a little better, I can take you to a place that will prove my point."

Batman noticed that Xander's eyes began to droop and decided that he had more than enough information for now.

"Fine, I will contact you later about that. For now I think I'll just check into what you told me so far and we'll see."

With that batman stepped back into the shadows and seemed to disappear, yet again. Then with a rustle of fabric he was gone back out the window.

Xander got up, and dragged his IV to the window very carefully and wincing the whole time but he really needed to move and stretch his legs and muscles anyways. Besides he really wanted to make sure that batman was really gone. He walked into the shadows till he felt the wall and then looked out the window, there was no trace of anyone having been there at all. With that he shut the window and went back to bed. '_This is going to be a hell of a stay. Why did I have to come to Gotham again? Oh yea, I wanted to see the big city, and had to pick the one with a weird crime fighter type guy in it. One of these days I am going to remember that curiosity kills_'. He knew it would never happen, but it never hurts to dream. He made his way back to bed and decided to get back to his much needed sleep.

Batman was on top of a building a block away, and noticed that there was a figure in Xander's window. _'Damn he recovers fast too. He's definitely a fighter.'_ He wasn't sure what to think about that. Xander had given him a lot of information tonight, and as much as he accepted the existence of vampires, and possibly other demons as well, the history of the world that he'd been given was a bit too far fetched. In addition to that was the idea that he had to kill them. He understood the fact that the judicial system couldn't deal with it, but extermination?... That was some thing he wasn't sure he could really wrap his mind around.

'_There has to be a better way'_. He decided to continue his patrol, _'Better to deal with what I know for now and think on the rest later.'_


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't answer reviews here, but I made the startling discovery that not everyone has their e-mail listed so here is just a general group response. I don't think there will be any major BtVS/Batman pairings, there is a serious age gap, there will be some Xander/Rachel crusheyness in the future. And there will be pairings in the future but I don't know who yet. There will be some traveling back and forth by various characters, and I hope to have Xander back in SunnyD by Christmas but you'll have to ask my muse to be sure. As to the other questions, you'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for the kind words all who reviewed and please keep it coming.

**Chapter 3**

Xander could never be called an early riser but since he got a lot of rest yesterday, and his ribs made it impossible to get comfortable, much less breathe, he found himself awake several times after batman woke him last night. Now he found himself awake and half dressed at 8:00 am slowly pacing while tethered to his IV. He was feeling a good bit better and his headache and the pain from his ribs was to a more manageable level thanks to the painkillers. He figured he'd be able to get back to work in a week. '_Damn, I need to call work and tell them what happened. Great, I hope I don't loose my job over this._'

When the door to his room opened he spun so quickly that he cringed at the pain in his ribs and had to steady himself on the bed.

The nurse that had walked in to check on him looked surprised and a little.. disappointed?.. when she noticed that he was already half dressed and walking.

"Mr. Harris, you should really be in bed. I'm surprised you can even move with the damage you've taken."

Xander just smiled through the slight grimace that was still on his face and straightened up a bit.

"It's really not as bad as it looks. Besides I heal pretty quick."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised with your medical record, it seems you've had your fair share of hospital visits. Why don't you just sit down and let me check your bandages."

The nurse guided him to the bed and had him half remove the hospital gown and removed the tape on his ribs to check the bandages beneath. He noticed that she had a small smirk on her face and her hands seemed to linger on his chest a bit more than necessary. When she saw that he noticed, she ducked her head a bit and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. She was a cute girl with coca colored skin that reminded him a little of Kendra, but thinking of her brought back bad memories so he tried to lighten the mood.

"So, what happened to Helga the Hun? I thought she was my usual nurse, not that I'm complaining, I appreciate the upgrade." He said with a wink, hiding the bad feelings under his mask of humor.

The nurse had to stifle a giggle at his name for the previous nurse. "Nurse Brimstaff doesn't work on Sundays, so today you get me. I'm Crystal." She said with a smile and offered a hand.

Xander shook her hand and replied, "Xander, please don't call me Mr. Harris it makes me feel really old."

"Xander? That's an interesting name."

"Well it's short for Alexander. My best friend since preschool couldn't pronounce Alexander, so I've been Xander ever since."

"That's sweet… alright you can put the gown back on now." She had just finished checking the bandages and put new tape on his ribs.

"Thanks, do you think you can take the IV out? It's really starting to get on my nerves, and I am supposed to be getting out of here today."

The nurse got an embarrassed look on her face and shook her head. "Sorry, ADA Dawes said your not to be released till she gets here. And with the number of times you checked out of hospitals early, I think we need to make sure you stick around. Besides, I think I'd like to keep you around for a bit."

"Well pretty lady, in that case consider me your willing prisoner." Xander said with a horrible cowboy drawl.

"Well, in that case let me finish my rounds and we'll see how I can make your stay more pleasant." Crystal said with a giggle and a wink.

Xander immediately started to blush, _'Yep, I'm really liking this town. The women don't think I'm stupid or try to kill me.'_

"I.. uh.. Sure, I'll be waiting right here."

Candy giggled at his reaction and waived as she left to finish her work. Xander decided to watch TV while he was waiting, and found a station that was playing reruns of old 80's cartoons. '_Sweet, Voltron™'_.

An hour later Rachel came in to see Xander sitting on his bed with a confused expression on his face as he was watching 'Sailor Moon™' and fingering the remote as if he was about to change the channel.

"Hey hero, your looking kind of confused."

"Oh.. Heh, Hey, It's just I can't change the channel. It's like watching a train wreck. The part of me that likes cartoons is telling me to watch, but the part of me that's male is telling me to change the channel." With that he shook his head and turned off the TV. Then he gave her one of his lopsided smiles, "So, you here to break me out of here? I gotta say, that whole making them keep me here till you got here was a dirty trick."

She smiled right back at him, "I had to make sure you'd stick around somehow, I can't have you disappearing on me in the middle of the night. By the way, you made the papers hero." With that she tossed a news paper on the bed open to a page in the middle. The headline was 'Gotham ADA Nearly Murdered in Narrows'. As he scanned the article he saw his name printed here and there, but mostly the article was about the horrible conditions in the Narrows.

"Wow, never seen my name in print before. Well at least if my boss tries to hassle me about missing the next week of work I'll have a good excuse."

"I'm sure that you won't get in any trouble for having to take off. By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I got your hotel key from the hospital last night and got your things and turned in your key. Your stuff is in the car and the guy behind the counter said you were paid up for the week anyways."

"That's cool, I only lost out on a day so no big."

Just then they heard giggling and looked towards the door. Crystal soon entered with a guy about Rachel's age dressed in a really expensive looking suit. When they looked up and noticed they were the center of attention the guy straightened up, and Crystal looked down and blushed a bit.

"Xander, let me introduce you to an old friend of mine. Xander, this is Bruce Wayne, Bruce, this is Xander. You'll have to forgive Bruce, he's easily distracted." She had an interesting smile on her face, but Xander saw something he couldn't quite define in her eyes as she looked at Bruce.

After that moment of thought his eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Wait, are you THE Bruce Wayne? The multi Billionaire that just got back like a month ago after disappearing for like years? THAT Bruce Wayne!" _'Great, I finally meet a beautiful woman that notices I'm here and not only is she a little older and out of my league, she's friends with like the worlds richest guy.'_

Bruce stepped away from Crystal, which she was obviously disappointed about, and walked over to Xander. _'And he even blows away any shot I have with Crystal too.' _

"Hi, I hear you're the reason Rachel is still around." He said as he held out his hand.

Xander just shrugged and took his hand, "It was nothing, anyone else would have done the same thing." Xander downplayed himself as usual and didn't think any more of it till he felt Bruce's grip tighten just a little on his hand.

"No, anyone else wouldn't have. You risked your life to save a friend of mine that you didn't even know. I can't tell you how much that means to me. If you need anything at all, let me know."

When Xander looked into his eyes there was an intensity and sincerity there that he had never seen before. But then he felt a nagging sensation that he should recognize Bruce. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he almost knew him form somewhere. Suddenly just like that Bruce smiled and turned a bit to look at Rachel as well and the moment was broken.

"So I hear Rachel is taking you in while your recovering. I wish I could have invited you both to stay at the manor, but we're kind of remodeling" Bruce said with a smirk, and winked at Rachel.

Xander shook off the intense moment from before and took in everything. It seemed like there was an inside joke that he was missing from the smirks on both Bruce and Rachel's faces.

"Wait.. Manor, Wayne Manor? Hey I'm working with the crew that is rebuilding the place after some drunk billionaire burned it… uh… down… Uh, can we just pretend I didn't just open my mouth there? I think it would make me feel a lot better." Xander said as he started to shift awkwardly as he got to his feet.

Crystal just looked shocked that he would mention it, and Bruce and Rachel were trying to stifle their laughter. Bruce coughing into his hand to cover it.

" Don't worry about it." Bruce said with a smile. "Lets just say I was having a really bad night." After he made that statement his eyes got a stormy look to them, but the smile came back immediately and Xander almost had to wonder if he had seen it at all, but for that second that feeling of recognition came back with a vengeance.

"Hey, everyone has a bad night sometimes. Of course I would recommend working out or bowling over drinking and such, but that's just me." His eyes became somewhat shadowed as he mentioned drinking, and thought of his parents, but he was almost as good as Bruce when it came to hiding what he was really feeling. Unfortunately, both Bruce and Rachel are a great deal more perceptive than his friends back home.

That piqued Bruce's curiosity though he didn't say anything. Though for Rachel, it confirmed her fears about his home life after seeing his medical records, but for now she would let it go. She'd have plenty of time later to talk to him about it while he was staying in her spare room.

"That's right, you said you had a part time job. I was wondering about that since you said you were just stopping in Gotham at the end of a road trip. How long were you planning on staying in the city?"

Xander was relieved that they didn't seem to catch on to his uncomfortable statement about drinking.

"Well, I was planning to be traveling for the whole summer, but I was held up in a few spots and rushed through most others cause I was worried my car wouldn't make it. I figured I would stick around a while and see if I could build up some job skills. When I go home I want to be able to move out and get my own place so I need the work experience."

"Well if your working on the manor then I assume your working for enterprise construction." At Xander's nod he continued, "Well that's a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises so I guess I'm kind of your boss." He said with a smile. "I think I could pull some strings and see about getting you into a career track and getting you in one of our affiliates in California when you head back."

Xander was stunned. "Really, you'd do that for me? Thanks, but you barely know me." Xander was really excited at the idea of having a career but he was naturally suspicious of free gifts from strangers, even if they were well known rich strangers.

"Hey don't worry about it. Besides this is just a recommendation, once you get the job your going to have to work hard to keep it and try to advance beyond entry level. But after talking to you and the fact that you saved Rachel, I have no doubts that you'll do well."

Bruce was glad he could help Xander out without making it come off as charity. He really was confident that Xander would do well with a job, but he was worried that Xander would get himself hurt with working and his 'night job'. Bruce didn't even have a day job and it was still hard living through both of his identities. More than all that though, he really did like Xander. He was a genuine nice guy and even had a good knight in shining armor complex. There was just something about him that screamed 'You can trust me'.

As he was thinking all this Rachel spoke up. "So how about we get you out of here. I already filled out the paperwork, you just need to sign a few forms and we can go. Bruce has a car waiting downstairs, he really wanted to meet you and insisted that he pick me up and give us a ride."

When Rachel finished talking Crystal jumped up form her place at the door and waved to someone outside the room. Then she came over and took the iv out of Xander's arm, all the time making doe eyes at Bruce. Xander lost the fight to not roll his eyes, and looked back as Bruce smirked at him and winked at Crystal. As she stepped back to let him finish getting dressed, an orderly came in with a wheel chair for Xander.

"Is that really necessary?" Xander asked as he took off the hospital gown and put on the jacket he was wearing when he came in, noticing that his shirt was a lost cause.

As he pulled off the gown, Bruce and Rachel winced at the amount of bruising on his torso.

Crystal just smiled at him and looked on in appreciation at his build for possibly the last time. "Sorry hospital regulations. We have to push you out when you're discharged." As he sat down, she pulled a clipboard off the back of the chair and handed it to him. "As Ms. Dawes said, the forms are just waiting for your signature."

Noticing the way she was looking at him as he got a shirt on he smiled to himself, '_Well at least she didn't completely forget about me with Mr. Moneybags in the room.' _ He took the clipboard, and saw that his normal info was already filled in, and the billing information was sent to city hall judicial branch. As he signed the papers, he was starting to think that things were going really well considering, but he stopped there cause he didn't want to jinx anything.

The trip to the car was made in comfortable silence as he finished looking through the paperwork making sure everything was in order, and the drive to Rachel's was also fairly silent with a few moments of small talk about the sites in Gotham. Mostly everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Rachel was worried about Xander's future and wellbeing. She could tell that he was a fairly intelligent and independent person, and frankly she was surprised that it wasn't harder to convince him to let her help him. Of course she knew that his condition probably helped a lot with that. What bothered her most was what would happen to him when he went back home. She was hopeful that the job situation would work out well for him but she was already thinking about how to pressure his parents to let him alone. '_Hopefully he'll be around long enough for me to build up his confidence a bit so he can stand up to his parents.' _ Even with his parents taken care of, he's still going to be fighting monsters and vampires. _'Maybe I can get Bruce/Batman to do something to try and make his life safer while he's at it.'_

Bruce's thoughts were following similar lines. He only had suspicions about his home life, but he had already made up his mind to train him after Xander talked with batman the night before. The only issue now was the logistical concerns. '_How am I going to train him without tipping him off that I am batman. Maybe I can train him as Batman?'_ It wasn't that he didn't trust Xander, but Batman had to be thought of as a mythical symbol, a being of legend that criminals feared. The more people knew about him, the harder it would be to maintain that image. At least that was what he thought. '_Well I have some time to figure it out. Maybe I'll ask Alfred and Rachel about it later.'_

Xander's thoughts were more mundane. '_What am I going to do now. I don't want to be too much of a burden, but for now I really do need the help. I just hope I don't over stay my welcome. Plus, I need to figure out how to repay both of these people who decided they should help a complete stranger that's a borderline loser. At least with Rachel I can try to help out around her house to try and earn my keep, but what could I possibly do to repay Bruce. Well, maybe I'll think of something after I start feeling a bit better. Plus I think hospital food has made my brain weak. I really need some sugarey goodness…'_ It was just then that Xander spotted something on the street. "Oh, ooh, can you stop the car? Please? I need to make a stop."

Both Bruce and Rachel looked up worried. Bruce had the driver stop while worried that Xander had spotted something evil or demonic that he had missed.

As soon as the car stopped Xander opened the door and jumped out.

"Thanks, I'll be right back." He yelled back amid protests of, 'Wait, what is it?' and 'Stop. What's going on?'

It only took half a second for them to decide to follow him as he limped into a convenience store that they had just passed. As they quickly followed him in, they were brought up short by the sight of him knelt down near a display of Twinkies practically drooling on them. He suddenly jumps up either ignoring the pain in his ribs or not noticing as he grabs 5 boxes and heads to the checkout counter.

They walk up behind him with curious expressions on their faces as Rachel gently taps him on the shoulder.

"What's going on? Is there something the matter? And what's with the Twinkies?" She quickly asked him as he turned while keeping her voice low.

Xander saw the bewildered looks on both their faces as he sheepishly cradled the boxes of spongy cake heaven to his chest completely oblivious of the pain he should be in.

"Sorry did I forget to mention that I'm an addict? Besides, the gods have given us too few things to truly cherish in life and Twinkies are one of them. I intend to make the most of it." Xander replied, and as he was talking he stood up straighter as if to stand proud in defense of his favorite snack cakes.

Rachel just looked at him completely bewildered. After a moment she just shook her head and went back to the car fighting off a smile and mumbling about insane cripples and their snack cakes.

Bruce didn't even fight it, he just broke out laughing like a loon holding onto the counter to keep himself upright.

Xander just stood there indignant, "Well it's not like I yelled fire in a movie theater to get to them. I just spotted them and decided I had to get some." By now he was chuckling a bit too. "Oh come on it's not that funny." He said with a smirk.

"No, it's not just that, gasp>… it's just," Bruce had to stop and catch his breath and wipe tears form his eyes. "I haven't been able to freak out Rachel like that since we were like 7 years old." He finally got out with a big grin.

At that Xander's smirk turned into a full blown smile. "Well next time you want to see that again let me know. I've been told that I am the king of frustrating even the most-calm mind."

"I'll do that." Bruce replied still smiling. "What's say we pay for that and get back on our way. I think we've had plenty of excitement for the day seeing as how you're an invalid and Rachel may be in a threatening mood once we get back."

Xander just kept smiling and paid for the snacks, "Don't worry, I've been immune to the death Glare since I met Buffy. She's a friend of mine back home. That girl has a glare that could peel the paint off a wall."

"I don't know, Rachel has been glaring down criminals for years now. It could be tough."

"I wouldn't worry too much, I have the puppy dog eyes down to a science. Perfected it when I was 3. Trust me, it has the power to stop any death glare before it can even start."

Bruce just smiled at him for a moment, "You know, I believe that." As they walked back to the car to a smiling Rachel, who was still shaking her head, Xander had the good grace to at least look chagrined. As they all climbed back in the car and the short ride that was left to Rachel's, he thought to himself, '_Well if nothing else this is going to be an interesting few weeks.'_

Bruce and Rachel sat back in stunned silence as they watched Xander inhale a pack of Twinkies. The silence lasted till they got to Rachel's apartment building, punctuated by the occasional light chuckle by Bruce, or Rachel's pained grunt and head shaking as Xander continued sucking down Twinkies like they were nothing. By the time they got to the building one box ws already gone.

The building was very nice. Apparently ADA's get paid pretty well. The building was decorated in beige and red with lots of polished wood and brass, and looked like someplace Cordelia would have lived… Well before her dad turned out to be a crook. She lived on the 12th floor about half way up the building. The floors where the apartments were located were a little better, but still a lot nicer that Xander was used to. When they got to her apartment he almost sighed in relief. It was nicely decorated in soft blues and greens, but it didn't look like everything in the place was worth more than his life. It definitely had a homey feel to it.

Rachel led the way in, "Welcome to my humble abode, don't let the looks fool you, it's usually a sty. I cleaned up yesterday after I got home."

"It's very nice Rachel. I just realized I've never been in here before, we usually meet downstairs. Did you decorate yourself?"

"Yea, Its really nice. Actually it's a lot nicer than I am used to. Thanks for taking me in." Xander was just amazed yet again that a beautiful and successful woman was willing to let him stay there.

Rachel just smiled in appreciation, "Well I did most of the decorating, but mom added a few touches here and there." She moved over to grab Xander's bag from Bruce. "Let me put this in your room and I'll give you the nickel tour."

She proceeded to do just that and led them from room to room. The master bedroom was really nice and spacious with a king size four poster bed and all mahogany furniture. The master bath had a oversized tub with whirlpool jets, and a separate shower stall. The guestroom was almost as big with nice rosewood furniture, a sleigh bed, and walk in closet. The last bedroom was setup as a study and the second bathroom connected the two rooms. From here they went back into the main living room that they entered from and the kitchen was visible and fairly spacious with an eating area off to the side. There were a set of double doors off the eating area behind the dining table and she paused as she led them to the door.

"And now for the 'piece d'resistance' this is my favorite room in the house." She opened both doors wide and they entered into an absolutely breathtaking room designed as a library/formal living room. There were bookshelves lining the left wall filled with books, and the back wall was completely made of glass that wrapped around taking up about 1/3 of the right wall. There was an incredible view of downtown and a door that opened to a wide patio that went the entire length of the apartment.

"All the rooms have access to the patio but I wanted to show you this last so I had all the curtains drawn. So what do you think?"

Bruce had a smile on his face and Xander was just standing there slack-jawed at the incredible view.

"It's a wonderful view Rachel and you have an absolutely lovely home." Bruce said sincerely.

"Uh… yea… this is incredible." That was all Xander could get out while still admiring the view.

Rachel's smile was soon competing with the view of the city. "I'm glad you two like it, it's not quite Wayne Manor but it's home, and it definitely has it's perks."

Xander gave her a big grin and shook himself out of his stupor. "Really, thanks again for letting me stay here, it's an incredible home." He took one last look at the view and stepped back. "Well, I'm feeling kinda sore from all this moving around, so I'm just going to get settled in my room and get a little rest."

"Please, make yourself at home, it's the least I can do to repay you."

Xander just smiled and went back to his room to unpack and lie down for a bit.

Once they were sure he was gone Rachel turned to Bruce. "I want you to help him." She said abruptly.

"What do you mean?" He responded quirking up an eyebrow.

Rachel just looked at him exasperated, "You know what I mean. He has been fighting these things for years and you can help. Teach him to be a better fighter. You didn't seem to have too much trouble with that thing Friday night, and you can help him get as good as you." She just stared at him doing a good impression of the legendary 'Willow Resolve Face' (patent pending).

…

Xander got to his room and put on some sweat pants and a tank top, and was about to ease himself down to bed when he decided he should get something to drink cause he could tell he would want one soon. He wandered back into the kitchen and checked the fridge. Grabbing a soda he closed the door and was about to turn around when he heard his name.

…

"Well, for your information, I had already decided to help train Xander last night when Batman visited him in his room."

"You did what!" Rachel lowered her voice at the last minute so it came out as a yelled whisper.

"I talked to him in the hospital last night as Batman. I needed more information about these monsters that he fights and I didn't know where he would go after he got out. It's not like Bruce Wayne could have just come up and talked to him for no reason."

Rachel only seemed slightly mollified by that but didn't tense up again. "So you are going to train him then?"

"Well yes, but it's a complicated situation at the moment. I can't let him find out that I'm Batman because I don't want to put him in danger from the criminal element that is still far too prominent. But how can I train him as myself with out giving myself away?"

…

This was a revelation that Xander needed to think on, so he turned around and went wtraight back to his room. '_Huh, my boss is a billionaire playboy that runs around catching bad guys in a bat-suit by night. And I thought Sunnyhell was weird. Well at least I know he's a good guy, not that Rachel would trust him if he wasn't.'_ Xander gently lied down on the bed and began to think about the identity of batman when something occurred to him. '_Wait one minute here… These people know me for 2 days and wants to train me so I have a better chance at survival, but Giles and Buffy that I've known for years still haven't decided to train me to be a better fighter... I think I am going to be in this city a while, and by the time I get back to SunnyD maybe I'll be able to show them a thing or two. I'll prove to them once and for all that I can cut it in this fight.' _With those thoughts in mind Xander fell asleep for a short nap.

…

(Meanwhile)

"Who cares if he knows your Batman! He is a good person and he can keep a secret. I saw his medical records, and I would bet my life that he was verbally and physically abused most of his life. And from what I can tell about the type of person he is, I doubt that even his closest friends know. He helps other people, but doesn't want to bother them with his problems."

Bruce just stood there in shock for a moment at her quiet outburst, "I suspected he had a rough home life from some of the things he said but if it was that bad wouldn't someone have done something?"

Rachel looked a bit chagrined, "Well, you once said that my system doesn't work, well it mostly does but sometimes people slip through the cracks. Add to that the fact that it can't work on it's own... If both of his parents are abusive then no one would ever know."

They both stood in silence and contemplated the situation they found themselves in and what they suspected. Neither of them liked what it meant.

"Alright, I need to go... We have the few weeks it will take for him to recover. Until then I will talk it over with Alfred, and we'll figure something out." Bruce gave Rachel a hug and smiled as he pulled away. "We'll figure something out, besides, he's a lot tougher than he looks at the moment."

Rachel walked him to the door and they said their good byes. She sighed as she turned around, '_It's going to be a long few weeks.'_


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to update, wasn't really happy with the way the chapter was turning out. I finally got it as close to what I wanted as I could, so here it is. I hope to keep my updates weekly from now on. I liked some of the ideas I got from the reviews but I already know how bruce is going to find out, but thanks for the suggestions, if I use any I'll give credit where credit is due. Again thanks for the kind words and hope you like this chapter.**  
**

**Chapter 4**

Xander woke up sometime in the early evening feeling refreshed. He leaned back against his headboard and started mulling over the things he had discovered that afternoon.

'_So, I have a comfortable bed, am staying with a beautiful woman that is completely out of my league, have somehow managed to make friends with her billionaire childhood friend, and this same person happens to be a crime-fighter that dresses up as a giant bat and wants to train me to fight… Nope, my life's not complicated. Not at all… Maybe while I'm at it I'll find a pot of gold and a leprechaun will give me 3 wishes…'_

The annoying voice in his head that reminded him of Giles decided to remind him that leprechaun's didn't exist. _'Well Duh, That was the point.'_

As the voice started to complain to him about the impossibility of telling when the youth of America was using sarcasm or was just stupid, Xander realized he was in serious danger of getting into an argument with himself and decided to stop. Right after he blew a raspberry at his reflection in the mirror.

'_I really need to talk to my friends. I wish I could tell them about Bruce/Batman, but I have a feeling Bruce wouldn't appreciate that. Either way I think I am over due for a call to Giles and the girls. What the hell am I going to say to them? Best to just keep it simple and just tell them the facts about the trip and maybe they'll just be happy for me because of the job.'_

That being decided, he slowly got up and started on some stretches he remembered from soldier boy that would help him recover quicker. It was very basic physical therapy that the soldier learned recovering from various black ops missions that still occasionally messed with his dreams.

Ten minutes later Xander got up and felt better, if not a little more sore. He took his pills that were on the bedside table with his soda and wandered out to see what Rachel and Bruce were up to while also looking for the phone.

Wandering around it seemed fairly quiet and he found Rachel sitting on the couch in the patio room looking through some files.

"Hey what happened to Bruce?"

Rachel looked up with a smile, "Good to see you awake hero. Bruce said he had to go. He probably has a few supermodels that he has to chat up, knowing him."

He noticed a bit of a grimace on her face as she mentioned it. "I take it you don't approve?" If he were honest with himself he would have said she was jealous, but he was holding out hope that she would be more interested in the poor hero type.

She let out a small sigh, "It's not that really, it's just that Bruce is really caught up with his… Image, I guess is the best way to put it." The far away look in her eyes pretty much convinced Xander that she was pining for him.

'_Damn, all the money and all the girls too. Oh well, I didn't have much of a shot either way. I'm probably too young for her anyways.'_ Even though he was 'in the know' about Bruce/Batman, he didn't really get the fact that his Bruce persona was just an act.

With a shake of her head she continued, "Whatever, anyways how are you feeling now."

"Pretty much like I just went 10 rounds with Tyson. Other than that I'm good. I should be up to 100 in a couple of weeks." He responded while rubbing his ribs and chest. "By the way, could I use your phone? My friends back home are probably pretty worried about me."

"Oh, sure, sorry the phone is next to the fridge in the kitchen. Shouldn't you call your parents too?" She tried to sound casual as she mentioned it, but she really wanted to find out about his home life.

Xander got a somewhat disgusted look on his face, "I wouldn't worry about them, it's an even bet that they haven't even noticed I'm gone yet… Well either that or celebrating."

Rachel was slightly shocked at his response, "Do you want to talk about it? I'm sure there is something I can do to help out. I know some people in the justice department that could help you…

Xander interrupted her, "Actually, please don't worry about it. I can deal with my parents. It's really not all that bad." He responded with a grimace trying to sound a little sincere. He forgot he wasn't in Sunnyhell any more, none of that looking the other way here. '_Damn, and I thought after my slip the hospital everyone here was just as oblivious as back home.'_

Rachel got a stern look on her face as she responded, "Look I really don't want to pry too much, but I am just concerned. Your hospital records go back a good deal further than your sophomore year in high school."

"Could we please not talk about this now? I really do have a few calls to make, and I don't think I'm up for this conversation right now."

She sighed as she responded, "Alright, for now we'll let it drop. But, we will be having this conversation later. I know you don't want to talk about it, but it needs to be discussed, I hope you know you can trust me, and that I am just worried about you."

Xander just looked at her for a bit, and came to a decision. "Ok, we can talk about this later, and I know you're just worried, but really, at this point there isn't anything to worry about. I don't intend to go back to that house for any reason other than to pick up my stuff."

He gave her a reassuring smile as he turned to go make his calls.

As he left the room Rachel started to think about what his life must have been like and started feeling melancholy, '_I guess he's probably right being that he is an adult now, but I wish someone had caught on earlier.'_

Xander took a deep breath as he reached the phone, '_Never thought I'd be worried about a person being too good to me but hey, there's a first time for everything.'_ As much as he was dreading the conversation that they would be having, he did appreciate the feeling behind it.

With that he called his work to let them know that he would be missing at least a week. His boss had already received a call from Bruce about the situation and told him it was fine, though he sounded a little odd on the phone. I wonder if he's mad about the situation? He shook off those thoughts and pulled out his calling card for the next call.

"Hello, Giles residence."

"Hey G-man, what's the what?"

"How many time… Never mind, I'll let it pass for now seeing as you were just suffered a head injury. Now how are you being treated over there? Is everything going well?"

Giles was really trying to sound annoyed, but he was actually very relieved to hear from the young man he thought of as a son. As much as he would never admit it, he really missed having Xander around. As much as Xander's sense of humor could grate on his nerves sometimes, as a whole it made their lives a good deal more upbeat. Plus he felt as though he were suffering from the amount of estrogen poisoning. He really did love is other two charges as though they were his own, but he really did miss having another male around. As much as he liked Oz, his quiet and stoic personality wasn't enough to really clear the air with two women around.

Xander really did love the caring and concern that he heard in Giles voice, "Actually, things are going so well I think I may be dreaming. I am staying at the apartment of the woman I saved on Friday till I'm back on my feet. And before you ask, yes she is safe. She's actually the Assistant District Attorney of the city."

Giles was surprised to hear this, "Really, I had thought you would be coming home as soon as you were released from the hospital?"

"Nope, sorry Giles, I've run into some good luck over here, if you don't count the vampire attack, but that was someone else not me really, I just kinda got myself involved, and then I happened to get hospitalized... Sorry, was channeling Willow there for a sec." Giles just smiled patently and waited for him to continue. "Anyways, you'll never guess who I met."

Giles attempted to sigh at the annoying games of the youth, "Really I have no idea."

"Aww, that's no fun. Just try to guess."

"Xander, as much as I do enjoy playing inane guessing games, could you please just end the suspense?" Giles relief and happiness about hearing from Xander could only go so far.

Xander was slightly disappointed that Giles wouldn't play the game, but didn't really expect him to in the first place. "Weeeell, it turns out that the ADA I saved happens to be a close personal friend of THE Bruce Wayne. You know, the multi-Billionaire?"

That was a shock that he wasn't expecting, "Are you saying you've met one of the most wealthy and influential men in the country, if not the world!"

"More than that G-man, he was so thankful that I helped save his oldest friend that he got me an entry level job with a career track for one of his construction companies that I was working part-time with before this whole mess started." Xander said with not a little pride in his voice. "I'll probably have a chance to spend some time with him later since I am staying with his best friend. Plus I think he wants to check up on me later."

Giles was a bit torn on the issue. His pride in Xander doing something positive with himself was warring with the though of him staying in Gotham. "So does this mean you'll be relocating to Gotham?" He asked with a bit of trepidation in his voice.

"What? Oh, no, I'm not moving here. I'm extending my stay for a few months to get a good start, then he said I could transfer to one of their affiliates in good old SunnyD. Don't worry Giles, I can't stay away for too long. I mean imagine all the trouble you guys will get into with out me helping you out. Besides,.." he continued with a faint hint of sarcasm, "who would get the snacks? Can't slay or research on an empty stomach." He gave a little laugh at the end to lighten the comment a bit.

Giles was both relieved that Xander would be coming home at some point, but was bothered by the last comment. "Xander, I do hope you realize that you are more important than that. Your contributions whether you mention them or not are fully appreciated." Xander may not realize that Giles knew of some of the things that he had done, but that would have to end. "I believe I know the full extent of your contributions to help us in the past, and I for one know the world would have met it's fate long ago without your influence."

To say Xander was surprised by that would be an understatement, "How did you find out about all that Giles?"

"You'll find that I know a great deal about the happenings on the hellmouth. My duties do not stop with Buffy."

Silence reigned for a few moments after that. Xander didn't think anyone knew about the O'Toole incident, which made him wonder what else Giles knew. "Thanks Giles. As much as I don't do any of this for the thanks, I found out not too long ago that it helps."

"Indeed it does Xander, I'm just sorry it took this long for it to come up." Giles felt he was reaching the limits of his British 'Stiff Upper Lip' persona that he adopted to cage his 'Ripper' side, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Well my boy, that's really enough of that. Is there anything else of interest going on?"

Xander just let out a small chuckle at that, "Yea, that was getting a little sappy for a second wasn't it?"

"Well, these things happen." Giles replied with a smile.

"Hey, there is one more thing. The reason I aimed for Gotham City in the first place was cause I heard of that batman guy on the news about a month back. Did you hear about that?"

"I did hear something about a monster that was fighting criminals or some such thing on the east coast, but I figured it was from a tabloid that had taken off."

"Nope, he's the real deal, and he's here in Gotham. I wanted to check it out cause it sounded way too much like some old comic book. Turns out the guy is real, and is an actual human with a lot of cool gadgets and fighting moves. I'll tell you, I never thought a normal human could get that good. He could probably give Buffy a run for her money unless she went all out."

Giles was a little surprised by this, "Are you sure he is completely normal? He could be using some kind of magic."

"Nah, I doubt it. I figure I would have seen some kind of visible magic effect, besides he wasn't stronger or faster than a vamp, just better… And armored I think."

"Well, I guess that's feasible." Was Giles only reply.

"Yep, well that's about it. I should probably let you go. I have to call Buffy and Willow next."

"Alright, it was good to hear that you are getting better, let us know if there's anything you need."

"Thanks G-man. Talk to you later." He hung up and was getting ready to call Buffy when he heard Rachel walk up behind him.

"Hey, I was thinking of getting dinner started. Is there anything your in the mood for?"

"Oh you don't have to worry about me. I'll just scrounge something up later. I don't want to be any trouble." Xander obviously felt like a mooch as it was but there was no arguing with the power lawyer in front of him.

"Quiet you. It's not a problem, besides I was just planning on making spaghetti, and you can't just make enough for one. Now if you have to make another call go to the other room and dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

He knew there was no arguing by her tone of voice, so he just walked to the other room like she said and proceeded to call Buffy.

"Hello?"

"Hey Buff, what's up?"

"Xander! Are you ok, is the hospital treating you alright?" In the background he hears a loud screech that sounds distinctly like Willow.

"I'm good, but I'm not in the hospital any more. Turns out the woman I saved was the ADA of Gotham and she had the city take care of the medical bills. She also put me up in her spare room till I get better."

"Really? Wish we had more people like that around here." At this point he can hear a loud string of Willow babble coming from near Buffy but can't make out what she's saying.

"As cool as it is, I think for people to be like that around there they would have to have a clue, and having people on the hellmouth that aren't clueless could be a bad idea."

"Yea, I guess your right bu….." Buffy's voice suddenly gets pulled away and he can hear some struggling on the other end of the phone before she gets back on. "I think I better let you talk to Willow before she looses it."

"Good idea." He replied with a smile.

"Ohmygodxanderareyouokisthehospitalokyouknowyoushouldntfightvampiresalonewhenareyougettingoutandcominghome?"

He couldn't help but smile and be happy that Willow wanted to talk to him again. After the fluke their friendship had suffered and he was worried it would just get worse when she went to college.

"Calm down Wills, I'm fine. I'm not in the hospital anymore. I am staying with the ADA of Gotham. She's the woman I saved that night. She even had the city pay my medical bills."

"Really? Are you sure she's safe? She's not a demon woman that wants to eat you is she?" Willow asked with trepidation.

Now Xander felt a little insulted, "Yes I am sure she's human and not trying to kill me. I mean really, it's not like every woman that I know turns out to be some monster…" Suddenly, he understood the reason for the question as he thought back to the women in his life. _'Damn, Cordy's the most normal woman I have ever been with… Something is wrong with my life.'_ He answered much calmer and a little understanding, "Never mind, don't respond to that. Yes I am sure she's human. Besides, she's just really concerned for my wellbeing, and I think she has a mad on for Bruce Wayne."

"Well that's no surprise. I think every woman with a pulse has a mad on for him. Probably even a few that don't. Personally I don't get the attraction to a guy just cause he's rich." Willow responded with a note of annoyance in her voice.

Xander smirked in response, "Well not every woman has been a close personal friend of his since they were kids. Besides, he is a fairly nice guy." '_3..2..1..'_

"OhmygodyouvemetBruceWayne!"

There was struggling on the phone again as he assumed Buffy was able to understand the Willow babble. '_God it's so easy. This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Glad they were together today.'_

Buffy obviously won the fight over the phone, "Alright, spill. What is the richest man on the planet like? Is he cute, nice, what?.. I'm waiting."

At first Xander could only laugh in response, "Well you'll have to decide if he's cute, not into the guy thing, but he seems like a nice guy, he really cares about his friends and all. More than that I really don't know. We only talked for like an hour or so before I had to crash for a bit."

"Really? Do you think he'll come out to SunnyDale?... It's not like I could leave the hellmouth to meet him." Xander could hear the pout on Buffy's face when she made that comment.

"Not sure Buff," he replied with a smile, "I'll be sure to invite him out next time I see him. He did say he'd help me get a job though. If it works out I may be here for a while, but don't worry. Your Xander shaped friend will be transferring to a company in good ole SunnyHell as soon as I can."

"That great, I'm happy for you Xan…" He heard static and mumbling on the line as Buffy turned to fill in Willow and Willows voice was the next thing he heard.

"You can't stay gone for even longer Xander!.. I already miss you. Can't you come here and start your new job?"

"Sorry Wills, I miss you too, but I have to start the job and training here. Don't worry I'll be back before you know it. Besides, now when I do come back I'll be the new and improved working class Xander." he announced with a smile.

"I don't need an improved Xander, this Xander has been good enough for like my whole life. I just want you to come home soon."

Xander was really touched that his best bud really did want him back, "Thanks Wills, and I feel the same way, but I really need this job thing to pan out so I don't have to go back to my parents place…" There was silence on both sides as Willow was the only person in SunnyD that really knew what his home life was like. "If it makes you feel better I'll see if I can save up enough for you guys to come visit while I'm here?"

"Alright, but don't worry about saving for us, I've got enough money in savings to get us out there, just let me know when you have a place for us to stay… and you had better keep in touch. I want weekly updates on how you're doing, when you think we can visit, and when you'll be coming home."

"Will do Wills. I promise nothing less for my best bud."

"You better."

Xander started to hear a beeping sound on the line signaling his phone card was about to run out.

"Sure thing… Hey I wish I could talk longer but I'm running out of minutes on the phone card. I promise I will get a new one and call again soon."

"Ok, you be careful, and get better. I want my best bud coming home in one piece."

"I will, scouts honor. Tell Buffy and her mom I said bye."

"Ok, bye Xander."

Xander hung up the phone with a smile.

"You ready for dinner hero?"

Xander jumped at her voice and was startled by how close Rachel was when she spoke. "Geez, when did you get so sneaky?"

"Sorry" She replied with a smile, "Just thought you might be hungry"

Xander's stomach decided to agree and let out a loud rumble. "Guess I am. Thanks for cooking by the way."

"Don't worry about it. It's easier to cook for two anyways." She said with a smile as they walked back into the kitchen. "So how are your friends doing?"

"Their good. Kinda worried about me, and upset that I'll be staying here longer than planned, but things are good."

"Glad to hear it."

They sat down and enjoyed a quiet meal. Xander complimented her on the food, and adding a little small talk while they ate.

The rest of the evening passed quietly as they finished the meal and Rachel went back to her work while Xander decided to go back to his room. He had a lot on his mind. Talking to Giles and 'His Girls' had helped him clear the cobwebs a bit, but he was surprised at the way his conversation with Giles went. '_I guess someone did notice how much I contribute. Plus it's good to know that everyone still wants me around.'_

A small frown appeared on his face as he thought about the more pressing matter of what to do about Bruce/Batman. _'Well I figure I need to let him know that I know who he is, but if I do will he be pissed or what? Maybe I'll… Ooh Ooooh! I see a plan forming… Oh yea, and it's a good plan. Wow, this is either going to work really well, or blow up in my face, with my luck even a fool proof plan could go either way.' _ Chuckling but feeling better about what he had to do, Xander gently went back to bed hoping when he woke up, he'd be feeling well enough to get his plan in motion.

Plaza Hotel

"You know when I woke up and got the call that the hotel accepted my offer to buy them out I felt like an idiot, but now I'm thinking things turned out pretty well."

Alfred just rolled his eyes at Bruce's comment. "Really Master Wayne, it's just fortunate that the hotel is still doing well and lucky that it gives us a place to stay while the manor is repaired. Beyond that it really was a foolish gesture regardless of any 'Image' you believe you have to maintain to the public."

Bruce just smirked at him as he continued getting ready for his 'night job', "The glass is always half empty with you isn't it." He responded with a chuckle. "Actually I was thinking it was fortunate that the storage area and private parking in the basement allows me to have a secondary base in downtown Gotham. Makes it easier to get to and from Wayne Towers if I need to go to my second job from my day job."

With a snort Alfred replied, "Oh yes, how could I forget? Your true identity as a crime fighter… Master Bruce, may I be frank?"

"You've never needed to ask that before Alfred, no need to start now." Bruce responded with a smile.

Alfred straightened up as he started to speak and got a serious look in his eyes, "Sir, I understand what you are doing and your need to conceal your identity, but who you are is much more than that. I'm sure your father would be proud of your efforts and moral code in your 'work', but your parents would want you to have a life outside of that. Even if you one day rid this city of all major criminal influences what will you do then? Will you even remember what a normal life is, or how to live one? Although, what you are doing is important not only to you, but to the entire city, Bruce Wayne is just as important. From what I understand, your family's legacy saved this city once. It should remain a shining example to the people of the city, not the embarrassment that your 'persona' is lowering it to."

Bruce could see the sincerity and worry on Alfred's face as he gave his lecture. With a deep sigh he sat down and looked up at his butler/father figure. "I understand, I've actually been thinking a lot about that since the party when we spoke, before I had to kick everyone out. As the guests were leaving one of dads friends said, 'The apple fell very far from the tree'…" There was a deep regret in his eyes as he continued. "Everything you said really hit home after that. In a moment of sudden clarity I realized the damage I was doing to mom and dad's memory and I've been trying to figure out how to come to terms with things…" He stood and visibly tried to shake off the bad memories. "Tell you what, tomorrow when I wake up we'll talk about this some more and with your help I'm sure we'll come up with some way to balance this double life that I've adopted."

Alfred gave a genuine smile after that, "That we will sir, that we will."

"Oh, by the way, I have a project that I'm going to need your help with. It seems that there are more things under heaven and earth that we could even begin to guess at." Bruce said with an enigmatic smile on his face. "We should have a few weeks before it becomes an issue so after our talk tomorrow I'll let you in on one something that will dramatically change your world view."

With that Bruce fished a special key card out of his pocket and walked to a small hidden panel on the far wall of his suite. When he slid it into the wall a large section next to it slid open revealing what appeared to be a freight elevator which he stepped into and the wall closed completely hiding the previous opening. The last thing Alfred saw was Bruce with one of his mischievous smirks on his face.

"That boy is going to be the death of me, I know it… If he comes home and tells me he put Superman on retainer, I am going to keep his inheritance and move to the Bahamas." Shaking his head Alfred went back to his room and was happy that at least the hotel staff took care of cleaning up for him.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow, so it's been almost a year since I updated. I know I suck but this part was mostly written 3 times before and puter problems caused it to be lost. Then R/L got in the way and I lost the writing bug for a while. I should be back now, but now I have the problem of lots of different story ideas popping up so I may start a couple more stories as well. Either way I should be posting more often regardless so on with the show.

A/N 2: I know Xander didn't meet Clem until long after this but I fudged a little since I am God here.

Thanks for all the reviews thus far.

Chapter 5

Plaza Hotel

The next morning was fairly agonizing for Alfred. He straightened up a bit but, the hotel staff was very efficient, especially since this was the owner's suite. His previous pleasure about their good work had gone right out the window. For the life of him he just really needed to clean something. Cleaning helped him soothe his mind but there was nothing to clean and he was also somewhat lacking in the area of cleaning appliances. It seems that housekeeping wouldn't let so much as a feather duster out of their sight, so they could be sure that the boss knew that they were doing a good job. He was up early enough to see Bruce on his way in that morning. They ended up staying up till late morning talking about the family and the current family image. After that part of the conversation he really did feel much better about the situation. What he was told next was what really was driving him to try and clean. If anyone one else had told him about the true dangers of the night and existence of monsters, he would have had them committed, but the fact that Bruce was completely serious about the situation really shook his sense of reality.

Not only that, but the people that fight these things allow a 15 year old boy to fight with them. Well at least allowed a 15 year old boy who is now an 18 year old man, to fight with them. And what is probably the worst thing of all, at no point did they bother to actually train him. At this point the obligation was falling to Bruce/Batman, and they need to figure out how this could be accomplished. Bruce had already told him that he would need help to not only figure out how to begin the training, but also in the training its self.

Now Alfred was sure that he would help and really was all for helping this man learn skills that would allow him to better survive, but Bruce's parting crack that he should wear a mask during the training was just absurd. 'Oh yes just wearing a mask is going to make sure this apparently bright young man doesn't realize that the older british gentleman in a mask, couldn't be the same older British man that follows Master Wayne around in the mansion that he is helping to rebuild.

"God I need something to clean" was his last conscious thought as he looked around the immaculate suite and decided to take a nap.

Rachel's Apartment

Xander woke up slowly as usual that Wednesday morning. He got up and did his stretches and was pleased to find that he was feeling a lot better. He was finding that he was healing noticeably quickly. It wasn't even a week since the fight and he was already moving around with almost no pain. In fact, at the moment he only felt pain if he made any sudden movements, otherwise he could move around normally.

Happy at how quickly he was recovering he began his daily routine stretches and light exercises that he remembered from his soldier memories. Then he began cleaning the apartment. If his friends could see him now they would be in shock at what he was doing but he refused to be a mooch no matter what Rachel said about it. He was determined to earn his keep. Being that neither he nor Rachel were particularly messy, it didn't take a lot to keep the place clean, especially since he was doing it every day. He also made it a point to have dinner ready by the time she made it home from work every night.

It was a little known fact that Xander was actually an accomplished cook. He really had to be in order to survive in the house where he grew up. If he didn't cook for himself he probably would have starved to death before he hit 10. His specialty was actually being able to throw anything together on hand and make it taste good. Tonight though, he wanted to make something special since he was actually feeling well enough to walk to a store and pick up some supplies.

Rachel would probably object since she was annoyed that he was cleaning and cooking when he was supposed to be resting. Him going out was going to drive her up a wall. Though he was happy that no matter how annoyed she was she still didn't bring up his home life… Yet. That still wasn't a prospect he was happy about.

He decided to put all that out of his mind and just focus on the fact that he could go out for a bit today.

He was just planning to go to the small market down the street, but once he got outside it felt so nice he decided to go for a walk as well. The parks in the city were pretty run down but he managed to find one near the water that separated the downtown section from the narrows that was still kept up. He never really considered himself a nature boy, but he found being in a large city like Gotham, he really missed grass and trees. He wasn't there for long before he started getting a nagging sensation at the back of his head. He was sitting on a bench right near the water and found himself staring at an empty lot just across the bridge in the narrows. Something about it was setting off his hellmouth alarms. It finally got to the point that he had to go check it out. Whatever it was didn't feel dangerous, but it wouldn't leave him alone till he checked it out.

Xander quickly crossed the bridge and made his way to the lot when he began to feel a tickling along his skin. Figuring better safe than sorry, he reached into his pockets and held onto his stake and holy water as he continued. Two more steps and he felt as though he stepped through a waterfall as a building seemed to materialize in front of him. It looked to be a fairly extravagant club with the name Knossos in big letters above the door.

'Huh, imagine that, I figured it would take me days to find a demon bar in this town, but lo and behold.'

The fact that everything he needed seemed to be falling into his lap lately was starting to make him worry. 'Luck this good doesn't happen unless there is a really big shoe about to drop directly on my head.

Looking up to make sure that he wasn't standing underneath an anvil or piano after that last thought, he shrugged and decided to just peek in and see what he could before he left. He was in no shape to deal with trouble but since it was still mid afternoon he figured he could chance a peak.

Slowly cracking open the door he was pleased to find that the place was empty save for one person cleaning up behind the bar. He was about to back out and go home when the bartender turns around and he gets a serious shock.

"Clem! What are you doing here?"

Behind the bar 'Clem' turned around with a sigh and looked at the newcomer, "Look I don't know who put you up to this but we're not even open yet so I don't feel like dealing with it. Yes Clem still says he's on the hellmouth, no no one knows for sure, yes I think he's just in Cali pretending, and now I need to finish opening my bar."

Xander just looked on confused, this guy was the spitting image of Clem, but then he noticed that his eyes were a luminescent blue instead of Clem's luminescent yellow.

"Sorry man, didn't mean to offend you but I really do know Clem. Not very well, really since I just met him a few months ago but he is in Sunnydale. Why, what's the big deal?"

The demon stopped, turned around and looked him up and down.

"Who are you, and how do you know Clem's on the hellmouth?"

Xander just smiled and started walking over to the bar. He remembered Giles saying that Clem's type of demon was fairly harmless and didn't cause trouble so he let his guard down a bit.

"Sorry, I'm Xander. Like I said I met Clem a few months ago at a kitten poker game when we were looking for info on some new big bad that was coming around." He held out his hand and the demon formerly thought of as Clem hesitantly shook it.

"I'm Bart, I'm Clem's cousin… So your sayin' he's really on the hellmouth?"

"Yep last I heard, but then again I've been on the road for the past couple of months. Been touring the country and all that. So why is it so impressive that Clem's in Sunnydale?"

At this point a huge smile split Bart's face, "Imagine that! I got a cousin on the hellmouth! Course that's impressive! Only the really powerful demons go there, from what I hear even the fledgling vamps start out stronger if they get turned on the hellmouth. There's a lot of powerful violent types there, and I heard that even the Slayer set up shop there too! Just living there Clem's proven he's something special."

Xander's eye's got a little bigger at that. "Really, well that explains why I've been doing so good on the trip. I was hoping it was getting easier to dust vamps cause I was getting better. Ah well, as long as I have a better survival rate on my own I guess it's cool. By the way there is a slayer back in Sunny D, I was with her when we met Clem."

Bart's jaw dropped open stunned at that. "My cousin met the slayer and lived to tell about it? I heard she was one of the best in the past few centuries."

Xander smiled at that. "Well she is, but we heard that you all are just normal types that don't do the violence and world endage, so we have a policy of live and let live."

"Well that's a relief, I didn't realize you was a hunter that worked with the slayer. Just so you know there's a no violence spell in this place. I like to think of it as neutral ground, so please don't start any trouble. I'd also appreciate it if you could not tell anyone the slayer don't kill non violent types. I'd like to brag a bit if that's alright."

"Hey knock yourself out. Besides I'm not really a hunter. I just had the bad luck to be born in Sunnydale. Pretty much had to get involved when my bestest bud got turned and I had to stake him. Figured I would take as many out as I could along the way to try and make it up to him. Besides, if your in the know, your pretty much in over your head, or your prey."

Bart seemed surprised and impressed before he got a solemn look on his face and nodded, which looked kind of menacing with all the wrinkles. "Sorry to hear about your friend. But it's nice to see someone involved that makes the distinction between the bad guys and us neutral parties. Feel free to come around anytime, I'll give you your first drink on the house for givin me the heads up about Clem." His smile came back full force after that. "Stop by anytime between sunset and sunrise and we'll be open."

"Thanks, I probably will. By the way, I have a couple of newbies that I helped out a few nights ago, is it ok to bring them along?"

"Sure, we get a few humans around every night anyways. There a few smalltime practitioners that come around, light and dark, plus the local Wolfram & Heart branch come here for meetings sometimes, or just to get a drink. Most everyone that knows the score tend to like to stop by just to prove they aren't nuts or to remind them of the truth."

Xander thought about that for a bit, "Yea I can see how that would help, but who's Wolfram & Heart."

Bart looked surprised for a second before he seemed to come to a realization, "That's right, they avoid the hellmouth too. Well, they are this seriously evil law firm that handles any rich demon's legal cases. A couple f really old rich vampires too. Basically they protect the powerful and not human, and are run by the 'Senior Partners' that were ousted with the rest of the old ones. The bosses can't come here anymore, but supposedly they got branches keeping their fingers in lots of stuff on multiple planes of existence."

"Whoa, and I thought regular lawyers were bad. That sounds like some pretty heavy stuff."

"Yep, with the corruption and problems in this city it's become a hub in the smuggling of magical and dark artifacts and magic's. Pretty big stuff, but only a couple of big wizard and demon types stick around. They don't really come here though, they just stay in the city to keep an eye on things and the money."

"Anyone ever try and get rid of them?"

"Not sure anyone want's to. Magic is big business nowadays, even the light stuff has to be smuggled in recently with the trouble in New York, and since this is the biggest port left open on the east coast, this is it. Besides, the big name's don't start problems here since it's so important to keep the money and merchandise flowing."

Xander frowned a bit at that. "Well I guess I can understand that. If even the good stuff is illegal I guess it makes it impossible to regulate the bad stuff." Xander then notice the clock on the wall and that it was approaching 5:30. "Damn, I gotta get out of here. I have shopping to do and dinner to cook. Hey thanks for talking to me, I'll see you later."

"No problem, come back anytime. And remember your first round's on me."

Xander jumped up and was moving to the door as Bart was talking and shouted a quick 'thanks I will' over his shoulder as he ran out of the building. As he noticed the slight pain in his ribs and chest he slowed to a light jog heading to the corner store. He noticed a butchers shop along the way and decided to go all out and picked up some fillet minion on the way home. He was just about to the apartment building when he spotted someone coming his way looking suspicious and staring at him. He tried to stay as far from him as he could on the sidewalk not wanting to start trouble but as they passed each other the guy reached out and pulled him into an alley.

The guy pulled a knife and knocked the grocery bags out of his hand.

"Gimmie all your money!"

Xander tried to stay calm holding his hands up and standing in as non threatening a way as possible.

"Look man, I only have a few bucks on me but you can have it. I spend almost all my money on the groceries there"

He slowly pulled out a five and some one's which was all he had on him and held it out to the guy keeping his other hand in the air.

"Bullshit man! Anyone living in this place is loaded! Now you better get some more money quick or I'll slice you man!"

At this point Xander knew this wouldn't end well. He started thinking of any way he could get out of this without anyone getting hurt but was coming up blank.

"Look, I'm just staying with a friend, that's all I've got…"

He was going to continue but the guy lunged at him. He was fairly big, but he looked like he hadn't eaten in a while and was moving really slow as far as Xander could tell. the guy had made a horizontal slash with the knife, but Xander had no problem stepping to the side and back to avoid it. He was kinda curious as to what was wrong with this guy and if he was hurt. He didn't want to hurt him any more that he had to. Then the guy pretty much dove at him leading with his knife and Xander just sidestepped grabbed his right hand around the knife handle pulling back on the arm and pushed him head first into the wall.

The guys head made a sick 'Thunk' sound before he fell unconscious to the ground in the alley.

Xander kept the knife and checked the guy to make sure he was still alive. The guy had a big lump coming up on his forhead with a little cut that wasn't really bleeding much so he figured he was ok for now. Luckily he was able to salvage the groceries and he went to the doorman of the apartment building.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Yes Mr. Harris, Ms. Dawes informend us you were staying here. Please go right in." the doorman said as the held the door open for him.

"Uh, actually I need you to call the police please. Some uh, guy just tried to jump me in the alley there and kinda knocked himself out. He lunged at me with this."

Xander held out the knife handle first to the doorman who stood still in shock for a moment. He quickly gathered his wits and called over another doorman and asked him to get someone to carry Xander's bags up to Ms. Dawes apartment and keep an eye on the door. Then he took the knife and asked Xander to show him where his attacker was.

Xander led him back to the alley while he phoned the police on a cell phone. The attacker was still unconscious amidst the debris and trash of the alley.

"Well there he is. Just how I left him."

The doorman was again shocked. "Sir, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say. This is generally a very safe part of town. Are you alright? I was told you were still recovering from a hospital stay?"

"Well yea still am, but I didn't so much fight him as step out of the way and let him run into a wall." He checked his injuries over and though he did remember a stinging pain as he had to move very quickly but all the bandages and everything seemed fine. "It wasn't that bad, I think he was moving a little slow and unsteadily from malnutrition. I was tempted to leave him here but he may need medical attention, and could be a danger to himself or others."

"You really are too kind sir. Why don't you go on up to Ms. Dawes apartments and I will inform the police. They should be here soon and will probably be up to ask you some questions. I'll inform them as to where you are."

"Thanks, …" He checked for the name on his uniform. "Mr. Dawson, I really appreciate it."

With that he went up and started getting dinner ready without further incident. As he was cooking he went over the brief confrontation again in his head. His attacker may have been malnourished, but he was still muscular and a good bit bigger than him. What could have made him move so slow?

He was still thinking about this when the police came up and questioned him about the incident. He answered honestly and repeated the events as accurately as he could. They seemed mildly suspicious of him during the questioning but didn't ask him much more other than if he was staying here for a while if they had to contact him, which he was. All told he was able to finish cooking while talking to them and offered them drinks as they seemed suspicious of him. He completed cooking and setting the table just as they were finished questioning him and as he let them out a frantic Rachel was rushing to the door.

"Oh my god! Are you OK! Dawes told me what happened, are you hurt? Are your ribs and chest ok! What…"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm fine." He turned to the police officers, "Thanks officers, I'll be here for the next week or two, then I'll call you to let you know where I'm staying."

The police officers just nodded with small smiles as they left and Rachel thanked them as well as she ushered Xander back into the apartment and told him to sit on the couch and took a seat opposite him in a large overstuffed chair with a serious look on her face.

"Alright, now tell me what happened."

With a sigh, Xander explained the whole story again, "Well, I was walking back from the corner store and was almost here when some guy grabbed me and tried to mug me. When I gave him the like eight buck I had on me he got pissed and attacked me. I sidestepped the knife and when he charged me I grabbed his arm and kinda helped him into the wall. That's it, I took two quick steps and it was over. I'm fine and I barely moved enough to even feel it."

She looked at him a little suspiciously, "Are you sure your ok?"

"Yes I'm fine. I'm sure, cross my heart and hope to die… well not really die, but you get what I mean."

Xander just sat there with his goofy lopsided grin hoping she would be satisfied.

"Alright, fine. Now lets talk about why you even left the apartment while your still recovering."

He could tell by the small smile that she wasn't upset but he decided to answer anyways.

"Well if you'll follow me madam, I will show you."

With that he led her to the table and uncovered the food. She was surprised to see all the food. There was salad, potatoes, some vegetables, and veal on a bed of pasta.

"May I present a meal fit for a queen as thanks for your hospitality, and to celebrate the fact that the bruising and swelling is mostly gone, and I have almost no pain when I move."

"Wow, Xander… this is too much. You really didn't have to do this."

"I know but I was feeling so good when I got up that I wanted to. Besides this cost less than a week at that crappy motel I was staying at so I figured it was worth it."

"Well thank you."

Both of them were smiling as they sat and enjoyed a good meal together. Not much was said while they ate but Xander's mind was already planning the next celebratory meal they would have at Knossos when he was fully recovered.

--Plaza Hotel –

Bruce Wayne was sitting in the living room of the suite he was using with a few notes on the repairs to the manor scattered on the table in front of him. However he seemed more focused on the notepad in his lap where he was writing out a training schedule.

"Can I get you anything for dinner master Wayne?" Alfred asked as he came out of the small kitchen area.

Bruce looked up from his work as Alfred approached. "Sure Alfred, why don't you order us both something from room service."

Alfred noticed the papers on the table and asked, "Ah, and how are the repairs to the manor coming along?"

"Oh, they're fine Alfred. I even had Fox get in touch with some non local contractors to come in and make all the additions to the south west foundation like you recommended since we have all the gear in the sub basement here. They were told that we're refurbishing the Underground Railroad area as a possible historical monument or something. That pretty much explains the need for electricity and communications wiring. Installing the vault didn't raise too many eyebrows either since it makes sense having it in an out of the way location, but I think I'll have to install the hydrolics and see if I can get the crew to conviently forget about the small crane they are using to get large equipment in and out. It's also being done in stages by a couple different crews so no one group knows exactly what's going on down there."

Bruce barely looked up from the notepad as he explained everything and seemed to be thinking rather hard about what he was doing. So Alfred took a seat across from him.

"It seems everything is well in hand so what is it that you are concerned about?"

Bruce handed over the notepad with a small smile, "Oh, this? This is the training schedule I'm making up for Xander. I think I am going to have to tell him about batman eventually but this is just the initial stuff that I can start him on as myself. I figure I can just tell him Rachel told me the truth, and I want to help him out. I may even have him move into the manor with us once he knows the truth and I get a better feel for what he's really like."

Alfred looked shocked, "Do you really think that's wise? You were very concerned about your identity a few days ago. You barely know this young man, and though I agree that he is doing something as important as Batman and we should help him somehow, how much do you really know about him?"

Bruce got up to pour himself a drink and raised the bottle in offering to Alfred who shook his head 'no', "Those are very good points, but I really don't think we have too much to worry about. He has his own secrets to worry about so I doubt he would betray ours. Still I do plan to get to know him better before making a final decision on telling him. As to how well I know him, I have a feeling even his close friends don't know as much as they think about him. I think his carefree persona is as much of a mask as my costume."

"All the more reason to be extra cautious."

"Normally I'd agree with you on that, but I have a gut feeling about this kid. I think we have more in common than anyone would believe. Besides I could use his help renovating the Batcave."

Alfred stood with a grimace, "Please don't tell me you'll be referring to the cave like that indefinitely. I could have sworn you were an adult, not some comic book twit."

Bruce just smiled, "Come on Alfred, it just has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

Alfred just responded with a sigh, "Well be that as it may, I will trust your judgment about the young man, your maturity may take some more deliberation." He stood and made his way to the phone to call room service. "I do admit a bit of curiosity about him though, I think I'd like to meet him to be sure."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I'd like to take him and Rachel out to dinner this Saturday and was hoping you'd come along."

He sat back down with his drink and waited patiently for Alfred to finish ordering their dinner.

After he hung up the phone he responded, "I would have much preferred to cook a meal ourselves but as the staff won't allow me near a decent kitchen I suppose that will have to do."

"Excellent, besides I'd like your opinion of him as well. I've found you're more insightful than I had previously given you credit for in the past, and I already had a high opinion of you."

"Thank you sir, and I will endeavor not to get a swelled head about it."

Bruce just smiled in response as he went back to the training notes and they waited for their dinner to arrive.


End file.
